Life, 1920-06-10 · page 42 of 44
Life — June 10, 1920 — page 42: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a cartoon or satire**—it's a straightforward advertisement for Palmolive shaving cream, disguised as science journalism. The page uses the authority of "science" and "laboratory research" to market a product. The company claims to have spent months studying beards and testing 130 formulas to develop a superior lather that emulsifies the oil coating facial hair, eliminating the need for hot towels or finger-rubbing. The photograph shows a man applying the cream—presented as evidence of the product's ease of use. The advertisement mimics editorial content by framing this as a genuine discovery ("What Science Has Done"), which was common advertising practice of this era. The free trial coupon offers readers proof they could test the claims themselves. By today's standards, this would violate advertising disclosure rules; the presentation blurs the line between editorial and commercial content in ways now prohibited.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
~ New Lessons in Shaving’ 1 Hot towels and fin not needed. T e secret of softening the beard lies in emulsify oil coat on the beard. er rubbing n the Copyright, The Palmolive Company, What Science Has Done Several years ago we began to make shaving a study in the Palmolive Labora- tories We were certain there was a scientific way to make each hair cut easily, and we sought to find it. We studied the beard. We learned that the obstacle in fitting the beard for the razor was the oil that coats every hair of the beard. This oil, we found, did not yield as it should to the ordinary lather. Hence it was difficult for water to penetrate and soften the beard. Asa reSult, men had to apply hot towels or rub with the fingers. The solution The solution to the problem, we knew, lay in a different lather than men were using. And we spent months experimenting with preparations. We tried 130 formulas before we achieved our Palmolive formula and mas- tered the last remaining problem. And that men may know what a difference it makes in shaving we are offering a trial tube free. See how easy With Palmolive you need no hot towels or rubbing to soften the beard. You just put a bit of the cream on the face, whisk it up into to simplify shaving a lather, and your beard is ready for the razor! This is because Palmolive instantly emulsifies the oil coat on the beard; so the water penetrates quickly. And such a shave as you enjoy with Palm- olive! You never dreamed a razor could glide so smoothly over the face. This is be- cause this lather also lubricates the skin, so the razor can’t scrape or irritate. Both lather and lotion Palmolive contains both Palm and Olive oils. Thus it is a lotion as well as a lather. It gives the skin a satin smoothness, a delight- ful cool “after feel” when shaved. No other applications are necessary. Try it free Note the coupon here. It brings you a trial tube of Palmolive Cream free and postpaid. Try a Palmolive shave and see what an amazing difference. Note that you don’t have to relather with Palmolive, because it stays moist and foamy 1o minutes. A mere bit is ample for a shave. For Palmolive multiplies itself in lather 250 imes. There's enough for 132 shaves in our 35¢ size. A cream so active, as you know, is something decidedly new. But don’t accept our word for the wonders of Palmolive Cream. Be the judge yourself, at our expense. Use a trial tube free. Send for it today. Large size tube at druggist’s, 35c, THE PALMOLIVE COMPANY Milwaukee, U.S. A. Free—A trial tube Free yourself from old- timeshavingfaul be. of Palmolive will prove a revelation to you. Send for it today, No charge. Simply mail the coupon. ween een Me nnn eny For a free trial tube The Palmolive Company Dept. 109, Milwaukee, U. S. A. Please send me a Free Trial Tube of Palmolive Shaving Cream. comicbooks.com